92 loyale wagon 2wd 3 speed auto problems/questions

[wongie]

Did a tune-up,strut change,brakes and there are still some minor problems with my wagon:

 

1. When I am driving/pressing the gas pedal there is a noise comming from the under carrage/engine/trans area. It sounds like something is loose/clanking but when I check the area, nothing is loose & or looks wrong/missing. *it doesn't happen when I rev the engine in park or neutral. I replaced the O2 sensor... could it be the exuast heat shields? Do I need them & can I take them off?

 

2. have 175/70/13 tires.. planning to replace them due to age, will 185 X 70 fit on a 13 rim & help gas milage/driving performance.

 

3. ride was rough/ridged/bumpy before the strut change & all the symtoms are somewhat the same after replacement. am I overlooking something?

 

4. replaced all timing belts & forgot to put back the center timing cover before I re-installed the main crank pully, is it necessary to re-install all 3 crank case covers?

 

5. I don't lock my doors when I drive,is there a way to disable to "DOOR LOCK" light in the instrument guage?

 

6. after all the tune-up & work, I calculated around 19-20mpg at 50% city & 50% hwy driving & hitting 3300-3400rpm @ 55mpg. is this normal?

[DaveT]

Welcome.

 

1 - could be loose shields. Bang on them when cool, if you hear a similar sound, remove the loose ones. Other possibility - Most of my EA82 cars don't like 87 octane & ping during mild crusing. It sounds similar to a loose sheild.

 

2 - I have run both tires you mention. Never noticed a difference. I don't like the 185s because they don't fit in the storeage space in the engine compartment.

 

3 - Not sure... These aren't luxury cars. Check all the other suspension parts?

 

4 - Some run no covers - I have 1 w/o, my main concern is if a mouse decided to make a nest in there.... The pullys get more surface rust if you drive infrequently.

 

5 - I didn't either, but with road rage & carjackings, I decided it isn't a bad idea.

 

6 - I get around 21mpg. Heavy on the accellerator. 65MPH on the highway. 65 is about 4000 RPM on all but 1 of my EA82 wagons. I'm not sure what is off on the one different one.

[idosubaru]

i would get the engine/trans running well first before moving ahead. sounds like there are some running issues and i'd rather iron those out before upgrading wheels/tires unless you need new tires anyway and can find a set.

 

that's only a 2.4% increase in size. that equates to like a maximum of 0.48 mpg increase assuming 100% efficiency (impossible). don't think you'll gain much there, but might not hurt to try.

 

if you increase your sizes a bit - maybe find a set of 14" wheels? i've had mixed results making significant increases. keeping in mind your odometer is wrong so you need to be true you need to check before/after with GPS or some other accurate measurement first. for highway driving here are my experiences:

 

on the XT6 (2.7 liter 6 cylinder) i've found larger diameter tires increase gas mileage. 16" stock WRX size verses the stock 14" XT6 205/60/14's does good. same results in auto and manual.

 

on a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder EJ18 (in an automatic) i've found larger diameter tires hurt gas mileage. it runs best with 15" LSi tire size (forget the size) verses the larger 16" wheel/tire combo.

 

being as flat as it is in honolulu though you might have a different experience, though the 1.8 liter didn't seem to do well even on land with very minor hills with the larger tires.

[wongie]

I went under and started banging the crap out of everything & nothing, I'm gonna just remove all of them, unless someone says otherwise. also running prem 92 octane

 

gonna buy the 185 because it's cheaper, I can get them from firestone for $50 ea.

 

so lazy... but I'll put back the crank gaskets back once I get all the other kinks out.

[misledxcracker]

1. In addition to checking everything that's already mentioned, check out the cat converter. I didn't have heat shields on the coupe, and it still made the rattling noise, but never in Park or Neutral. Finally took down the cat (for a very short test) and no noise.

 

2. 185x70 fits, but I don't see any gains coming from that. I'd run the 175's myself.

 

3. Check out the suspension... check for loose ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. If everything is up to par, well, that's an 80s Subaru for ya.

 

4. Leave them off. Take the side ones off too, and store them somewhere. Heck, throw them away if you want. Much easier to check, tension, and re-install the belts.

 

5. Remove the cluster, remove the bulb, reinstall.

 

6. That sounds a little low, I averaged 25-27MPG in my coupe doing 65MPH. 23 or so in the city, but not too much traffic.

[wongie]

ok...

 

I guess when I replaced one of the timing belts, I installed it 1 gear tooth off the timing mark and one of the spark plugs was loose. fixed both issues and no more noise/clanking and the car runs much much better. I also replaced the oil pump gaskets due to major oil leaks... still got very minor leakage from some were close to the left/right cranks shafts but cannot confirm its comming from there.

 

as for the rough ride, was think of replacing stabilizer bushing/lower control arm bushing/tie rod bushings? not something easy to find... been looking online but no luck.

 

still working on my project....